A marble rolling up an orange tiled ramp beneath a full moon

Work

Marble platforming franchise

Organization
GarageGames
Role
Design Lead
Years
2002–2009
Platforms
PC, Mac, Xbox 360

Marble Blast is the marble platforming franchise that came out of GarageGames: roll a marble through obstacle courses in the sky, collect gems, and race the clock. What started as a demo for the Torque Game Engine became GarageGames’ flagship game franchise, and its DNA runs straight through to Marble It Up!

Marble Blast Gold (2003) came bundled with all consumer iMacs, and eGames also sold it in stores as a boxed release, Marble Blaster. Marble Blast Ultra (2006) was developed in close coordination with Microsoft as one of the first Xbox Live Arcade titles on Xbox 360.

My Role

I was an intern, and GarageGames’ only designer and artist, when the company started the Marble Blast project. I learned my craft on this game, and it became one of the centerpieces of my career.

I went on to build all of the franchise’s levels until the later days of Ultra. On Ultra I was also art director, and I designed and helped build the game’s support for Xbox Live Arcade’s platform features. I built all of the levels for Ultra’s storied Gem Hunt mode, and designed its gameplay with Mark Frohnmayer.

I continued on as an advisor to the franchise as it was adapted into Marble Blast Online and Marble Blast Mobile.

A marble on a red and yellow tiled maze path high above the clouds
Marble Blast Gold
A marble rolling across a blue and white striped course toward a gem
Marble Blast Gold
A marble on a green tiled platform below a staircase ramp
Marble Blast Gold
A marble on a curving blue glass track among wooden towers in a purple sky
Marble Blast Ultra
A marble perched on a tall stone block among stone pillars above the clouds
Marble Blast Ultra
A marble racing toward a glass wall, with the level timer at the top of the screen
Marble Blast Ultra
A marble flying on a propeller power-up over teal tiled platforms
Marble Blast Ultra
A marble rolling along a wall beside a curved yellow halfpipe
Marble Blast Ultra
A purple and red marble on a blue glass platform, with a gap ahead
Marble Blast Ultra
A globe-patterned marble on an orange tiled course beside a hazard-striped crate
Marble Blast Ultra